An Egyptian court has sentenced 528 men to death, most in their absence, following a grossly unfair trail. The convicted men are supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi and were tried for their alleged role in a riat in which one police officer died. This mass trial represents the largest number of death sentences handed down in one case in recent years. Most of the men were tried and convicted in abstentia, without evidence, without witnesses, and without a defense. This is definitely not justice.

By suppressing democracy at home, our local and national governments give succor to those who suppress it abroad, and undermine the stated human rights ideals of US foreign policy, as well as US democracy itself.

The hypocrisy of promoting democracy elsewhere while suppressing it at home, is brilliantly captured in the "I Am Not Moving" film by Corey Ogilvie, below.

Global media coverage of news from Egypt over the last week was focused on the trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. It ignored--or gave only footnote status to--a more important development: the forcible expulsion on Monday, August 1, of democracy activists from Tahrir Square in Cairo, and the occupation of the square by the Egyptian military and police. Armed forces now surround the central square area, literally taking up the space occupied by the democracy movement only a few days ago.

The trial of Hosni Mubarak, who oversaw his government’s killing of more than 1,000 Egyptians, whose only crime was peacefully protesting for basic human rights and dignity, is an important step toward establishing the rule of law in Egypt. But, it is only one step toward democratic reform. That the ruling Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) saw fit to shut down Tahrir Square shows, at best, that they don’t understand the importance of that place for the democratic development of Egypt.

Tahrir Square was, and is, the epicenter of social change in Egypt. The revolution began there on January 25, and it became a community of liberation, a place where Egyptians could voice to their deepest aspirations for freedom, social justice and dignity. It has been a gathering point for people coming from all over Egypt to debate the future of their country, and also to find and share their courage to express their needs and values, so long crushed by the Mubarak regime.

It has also been a genuine community, with Egyptians sharing food, music, living space, culture, and ideas. Dr. Pakinam El Sharkawy, Director of Cairo University’s Center for Civilization Studies and Dialogue of Cultures, describes the experience of Tahrir Square during the early revolutionary days as “magnificient….It was something really spiritual. There were gates in Tahrir, and when you entered the gates, you feel the spirit: people sitting together, caring for each other, loving each other. The most secure place in Egypt was Tahrir Square. The people were securing each other. When you ask anyone who had been there, they have the same answers, the same experience.”

SCAF tactics since the initial closing of the square have only escalated in violence. After the square was cleared on Monday, August 1, the following Friday evening, August 5, a few hundred peaceful protesters gathered to break their Ramadan fast and briefly demonstrate. The protesters made it clear they weren't attempting to re-occupy the Square. But, unprovoked, the military violently attacked the protesters. I was a witness to this attack.

The protesters were on an island of the square that was open earlier in the day, not the center area that has been cordoned off by the police since Monday. They shared food with each other. Then, they demonstrated, with speeches, chants, and songs.

The army gathered across the street, but it seemed from their formations that they were just there to stop protesters from blocking traffic or reoccupying the central island of the square. Then, without any provocation, the army charged the island. This was not a standard police-style block formation to clear protesters out of a public space. This was a brutal attack by the military on completely unarmed, 100% peaceful protesters, whose protest was largely completed.

The soliders beat dozens of protesters indiscriminately, most of whom were simply trying to escape. I repeatedly saw groups of five to ten soldiers chase down boys who couldn’t be any older than ten years old and beat them with yard-long sticks. The soldiers chased protesters many blocks from Tahrir Square, all the way to the Kasr-al-Nile Bridge half a mile away, for the purpose of beating them.

Many dozens of bullets were fired as the soldiers chased the protesters through the streets, presumably into the air. Though there haven’t been reports of anyone being shot, though many protesters were hospitalized from their beating injuries.

Clearly, the purpose of the attack was not just to clear that little island of the square. The level of brutality suggests that its true purpose was to strike fear in the hearts of anyone who wants to make public political expression in the main town square of Egypt.

In terms of world media attention, the Egyptian regime is getting away with tremendous brutality, possibly because the brutality in Syria at the moment is even worse, and the trial of Mubarak draws attention away from the suppression of the people power demonstrations that brought about his overthrow.

SCAF tactics since the initial closing of the square have only escalated in violence. After the square was cleared on Monday, August 1, the following Friday evening, August 5, a few hundred peaceful protesters gathered to break their Ramadan fast and briefly demonstrate. The protesters made it clear they weren't attempting to re-occupy the Square. But, unprovoked, the military violently attacked the protesters. I was a witness to this attack.

The protesters were on an island of the square that was open earlier in the day, not the center area that has been cordoned off by the police since Monday. They shared food with each other. Then, they demonstrated, with speeches, chants, and songs.

The army gathered across the street, but it seemed from their formations that they were just there to stop protesters from blocking traffic or reoccupying the central island of the square. Then, without any provocation, the army charged the island. This was not a standard police-style block formation to clear protesters out of a public space. This was a brutal attack by the military on completely unarmed, 100% peaceful protesters, whose protest was largely completed.

The soliders beat dozens of protesters indiscriminately, most of whom were simply trying to escape. I repeatedly saw groups of five to ten soldiers chase down boys who couldn’t be any older than ten years old and beat them with yard-long sticks. The soldiers chased protesters many blocks from Tahrir Square, all the way to the Kasr-al-Nile Bridge half a mile away, for the purpose of beating them.

Many dozens of bullets were fired as the soldiers chased the protesters through the streets, presumably into the air. Though there haven’t been reports of anyone being shot, though many protesters were hospitalized from their beating injuries.

Clearly, the purpose of the attack was not just to clear that little island of the square. The level of brutality suggests that its true purpose was to strike fear in the hearts of anyone who wants to make public political expression in the main town square of Egypt.

In terms of world media attention, the Egyptian regime is getting away with tremendous brutality, possibly because the brutality in Syria at the moment is even worse, and the trial of Mubarak draws attention away from the suppression of the people power demonstrations that brought about his overthrow.

Tahrir Square represents both the symbol and substance of democracy in Egypt. Democracy and freedom of assembly are part of the same principle. If you shut down the right of people to assemble peacefully to express their hopes, fears and dreams, you can’t claim to be a democracy, even an emerging one. SCAF cannot legitimately assert that it is facilitating the transition to democracy in Egypt while suppressing the fundamental democratic human right of “freedom of peaceful assembly and association,” as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 20).

When asked about the importance of Tahrir Square, Sabah Hamamou, an editor at Al-Ahram, a prominent Egyptian newspaper, said in an interview, “Democracy is people finding space to express the things they want. But things start with a space.” In Egypt, that space begins in, and emanates from, Tahrir Square.

Despite the brutality, the democratic movement in Egypt shows extraordinarily admirable resilience and courage. In the wake of the events of last Friday, a broad coalition of organizations organized a new protest in Tahrir Square, which took place Friday. Egypt’s Sufis, in coalition with Copt Christians and secular groups such as the April 6 Youth Movement, organized the demonstration for an Egyptian civil state, as opposed to a religion-based government, as was advocated in the Square by conservative Muslims a few weeks ago. The military police chased protesters with sticks and fired shots in the air when they attempted to retake the central island of the Square, but the main protest was allowed to continue as planned. The status of the Square is clearly in flux. What happens in Tahrir Square in the coming weeks will be an important measure of the state of democratic change in Egypt.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

From Cloud to Street: Hacking in Support of Egyptian Democracy

During the last few months, I've begun participating in an exciting project called Cloud to Street, a collaborative initiative bringing together Egyptian democracy activists, communication technology experts around the world, and other supporters of Arab Spring social movements. The purpose of Cloud to Street is to identify and create tools that help activists on the street advance democratic reform. The project is led by Canadian diplomat Ben Rowswell, now a Visiting Scholar at the Stanford Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL).

On May 14, Cloud to Street sponsored the first all-day Hack for Egypt event, during which Egyptian democracy activists, in person and by videoconference, spoke about specific projects that would benefit their efforts. Co-sponsors of the "hackathon" included the CDDRL Program on Liberation Technology and the Stanford Peace Innovation Lab.

The May 14 session was the impetus for the development of a website, www.wathiqah.com(use Google Chrome browser to translate from Arabic), endorsed by the campaign of Egyptian presidential candidate (and Nobel Peace laureate) Mohamed ElBaradei, that allows Egyptians to consider and debate constitutional principles for their emerging democracy.

A follow-up effort is focused on creating a "Constitution Explorer" website, that will allow democracy activists in all Arab Spring countries to draw from the principles and governmental structures in constitutions from around the world in developing their own democratic processes. The Constitution Explorer project needs volunteer "taggers," who are willing to work with the project team to create an index of global constitutions. To volunteer, contact Ben Rowswell, at rowswell@stanford.edu.

The Spirit of Tahrir

Another project I've been working on is "The Spirit of Tahrir," a web-based platform that links visitors to Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and websites focused on nonviolent democracy and human rights movements in the Middle East. The goal of The Spirit of Tahrir is to build transnational solidarity for the democracy movement in Egypt, and democracy movements elsewhere, so that activists can learn from each other's victories and mistakes in real time. General resources on nonviolent social change are also provided, which may be useful for both pre- and post-regime change actions.

The Spirit of Tahrir site is currently housed as part of topia.net. Ideas for how the site can be developed further are most welcome.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Nonviolent Change in Libya: Still an Option

This insightful Huffington Post blog post by University of San Francisco Mid-Eastern Studies professor Stephen Zunes (also posted by Zunes on the topia.net Facebook page) makes the argument that nonviolent strategies were successful in the early stages of the Libyan conflict, and still could be employed now. Zunes provides an important reality check for the political dialogue about the uprising in Libya, and the military intervention to support it.

There is a persistent drumbeat for increasing militarization of the Libyan uprising, and most mainstream media commentators and politicians frame the situation wholly in terms of the prospect of military victory or defeat. The assertion of the possibility of nonviolent strategies for change is treated as naive. But, it was nonviolent approaches that were in many ways responsible for the early victories in Libya, as well as the successful revolutions in her two neighbors, Egypt and Tunisia.

From Memphis to Madison

Here, on the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., is a powerful video from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), reminding us that supporting public employee AFSCME garbage workers was Dr. King's purpose for being in Memphis on the day he was killed, and showing the connecting between the events of that time and those of ours. It's a wonderful mashup: Martin Luther King, Jr. commenting on the current protests in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere.

With the Whole World Reconsidering Nuclear Power, the US Government Should, Too

Click on the "No Nukes: Not Now, Not Ever" button below to sign the Credo petition to President Obama to reconsider the $36 billion in loans to the nuclear power industry pledged in his 2012 budget.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Right Back At You

Here, literally, are some signs of growing solidarity across different parts of the global civil society movement for democracy and human rights. The first sign, below, is from the Madison, Wisconsin demonstrations for keeping the right of collective bargaining, with a nod to the revolution in Egypt, and the second is from Tahrir Square in Egypt, showing support for the demonstrations in Madison.

Speaking of solidarity, here is a video from the Wisconsin State Capitol, showing Wisconsin police officers ("Cops for Labor") joining the demonstrations in the Capitol, reminiscent of the Egyptian army's behavior during the anti-Mubarak demonstrations.

As "people power" movements throughout the Middle East seek to create democracies in their respective nations, citizens in Wisconsin are working hard to defend one of the essential elements of democratic societies: the right of workers to collectively bargain with their employers. That right is currently being threatened by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Republican legislators, who are proposing a bill that would remove most collective bargaining rights for public employees in Wisconsin.

Sarah van Gelder, writing in Yes! Magazine, argues that the Wisconsin protests may be the beginning of a larger American movement "aimed at protecting the poor and middle class." As a former student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I take special pride in the fact that the push-back against the conservative attack on the rights of workers and government programs affecting the poor and middle classes is beginning there. The US Progressive movement, dating back to the late 1800s, has its roots in Wisconsin, and has continued, especially in Madison, through to today, as evident in the growing protests.

Click on the "Solidarity" button below to send a message of support to the 14 Democratic Wisconsin State Senators who fled the state to block the vote on Governor Walker's bill to remove most collective bargaining rights for public employees in the state.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Bread, Freedom and Dignity

It is said that one of the most common slogans on the streets of Egypt this past week is "bread, freedom and dignity." What does "bread, freedom, and dignity" mean? No doubt it means many different things among the hundreds of thousands of people in those demonstrations, unified by their opposition to the Mubarak regime.

But, I have no doubt that for many of those people, it means more than just the need to end the Mubarak regime. It means, as Egyptian Nobel Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei has said, that the time for the rule of Pharaohs and kings is over. It means that the time is over for the rule of religious minorities, or even majorities, of whole societies; the rights and freedoms of each individual must be respected. It also means that the time is over for the rule of men over women, in religious, cultural, political, economic and social contexts.

One of the most poignant such messages of support is a Facebook posting by Ahmad Zeidabadi, an Iranian journalist and current political prisoner, who advises Egyptions to "learn from our mistakes," referring to those of the Iranian revolution that overthrew the Shah in 1979. Among his suggestions:

"Don't bring religion to government.

Don't just focus on removal of that brutal, ignorant dictator Mobark, but also focus on visionary Egyptions that are NOT power hungry, focused on solving the issues, and are not hateful in their speeches.

When the tyrant Mobarak finally agrees to step down, don't try to destroy your government and start from zero. That would only take you back another 30 years like it has done so for Iran. Every system, has bad but also very good individual that serves it.

Don't execute or torture anyone, even those who tortured you or executed your loved ones. That's the only way to insure, execution and torture will be eradicated.

Say, Egypt for all Egyptians! Moslem or Christian, northerner or southerners. Be aware of anyone who tries to do otherwise."

December 5, 2008-December 18, 2010Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal: One Right Brings OthersAung San Suu Kyi, Hero of NonviolenceFrom Forth Worth, Texas: "It Gets Better"It Gets BetterAttack on Humanitarianism Highlights Need for Change in US and Israeli PolicyRemembering Harvey Milk's "Us's" Around the WorldDriving While Brown
Drill, Baby Drill? Nuke, Baby Nuke?
For
Moment of Defiant Inspiration: Poet Lucille Clifton
Former Klansman Apologizes to Civil Rights LeaderPresident Obama Signs Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill Into LawInternational Day of Climate ActionAhmadinejad Faces a "Soft Revolution," Just Not the One He ThinksTeddy Kennedy: In Memoriam
We are the WorldEveryone has the right...To Our Brothers and Sisters in IranThe Whole World is Watching Iran: Calls to ActionIn Solidarity with Iranian Democracy64 For Suu: International Campaign to Free Imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate California Court: Marriage is a Right, Just Not Significant Enough to Uphold for Everyone"Gross National Happiness"--How Bhutan Has Formulated an Alternative to GNP/GDPAs G20 Leaders Meet to Address Global Economic Crisis, Public Offers Policy Alternatives to "Put People FIrst"Obama and the Dawn of Transformational PoliticsA Song Around the World: "Stand by Me" 40th Anniversary of an Image that Illuminates the WorldProp 8--The Musical

April 8, 2008-November 15, 2008International Protest Against California Proposition 8Marks New Phase in American Civil Rights Movement
National Protest This Saturday Against Proposition 8
No on 8: "Discrimination"
In One Week
No on Prop 8
Global Priorities: Feeding Markets, Starving the Hungry
The Liberation of Tibet as the Web 2.0 Version of the Fall of Apartheid
Happy 90th Birthday, Nelson Mandela
The Fierce Urgency of Now
Protests Follow Olympic Torch Around the World

June 9, 2007-February 21, 2008No, You Can't--No Se Puede
Barack Obama for PresidentIraqi Teenagers Send Messages of Peace in a BottleNews from Burma Inside the BlackoutA World of Support for Burma's Saffron Revolution "I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free / One Love"Birthday Greetings: Some Favorites A Movement of Movements:
First US Social Forum a Historic EventUS Social Forum: June 27 - July 1, Atlanta, Georgia Take Action Against Hate CrimesG8 Comes Up Short

November 8, 2006-May 12, 2007Mother's Day for Peace A Bit of Wishful Thinking: George Bush Sings "Imagine"What We Protest For: A Soldier Returns Home Al Gore on our "Planetary Emergency"
A Call for Cease-Fire in Iraq
Thousands March Against the War in Iraq
World Social Forum Opens in Nairobi, Kenya
Impeach, Nancy, Impeach!
American Deemocracy Affirmedq

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Links to Another World:
Voices You May Not Have Heard

Freecycle Network

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,885 groups with 7,017,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free.

Global Zero: A Step Toward Global Disarmament

In recent months, the threat of proliferation and nuclear terrorism has led to a growing chorus of leaders calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Global Zero, supports this endeavor by combining high-level policy work with global public outreach to achieve a comprehensive agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons worldwide through phased and verified reductions.

The Resist Network:Creating a Documentary Film on Global Change

Resist is a documentary film-in-the-making about economic and social injustice around the world and the people who are challenging it. Director Marc Silver, who has produced documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4 in Britain, has enlisted actor Gael Garcia Bernal to interview global change activists, including Noam Chomsky (see below), Naomi Klein and John Berger.

One of the most innovative aspects of the project is that Silver has created an online forum, the Resist Network, that will inform the production itself. Participation in the Resist Network is an opportunity to help shape both the documentary and the movement it describes.

Clip from Resist interview with Noam Chomsky: "The Answer is in You"The Sustainable Living Roadshow
Begun in Spring 2007, the Sustainable Living Roadshow (SLR) is comprised of experienced educators, activists and entertainers who tour university campuses and community events throughout the United States and internationally in a fleet of non-petroleum based renewable fuel vehicles. Theys set up off-the-grid, zero-waste experiential learning villages, featuring workshops, speakers, sustainability exhibits and entertainment which demonstrate practical solutions to social and environmental issues created by our modern industrial society.
Video Source: Sustainable Living Roadshow
Kiva: Loans That Change Lives
As profiled recently in the New York TimesandPBS's Frontline World, Kiva is an organization that lets you connect with, and loan money to, unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence.

Nonviolent Regime Change Computer Game
A Force More Powerful is a computer game that teaches activists and leaders of nonviolent resistance and opposition movements how to fight real-world adversaries—dictators, military occupiers and corrupt rulers, using methods that have succeeded in actual conflicts—not with laser rays or AK47s, but with non-military strategies and nonviolent weapons.
Katrina Information Networkand Rebuild GreenThe Katrina Information Network and Rebuild Green provide social justice and environmental perspectives on the Katrina relief effort.

DarfurGenocide.orgThis
site's sole purpose is to try to save lives by helping
stop the genocide in Darfur. It empowers you to take smart,
strategic actions to compel those in power to act through
international petitions or local events. It provides access
to the best, most relevant and most up-to-date information
available. www.savedarfur.org is a similar website.
Peaceful Societies
Peaceful societies are contemporary groups of people who
effectively foster interpersonal harmony and who rarely
permit violence or warfare to interfere with their lives.
The Peaceful Societies website serves to introduce these
societies to students, peace activists, scholars and citizens
who are interested in the conditions that promote peacefulness.
It includes information on the beliefs of these peoples,
the ways they maintain their nonviolence, and the factors
that challenge their lifestyles.

Your
Global Rich List Position
This website provides a calculator that allows you to
determine your annual income relative to the rest of the
world. By entering your annual income, and clicking on
the calculator, it gives you the following read-out, with
specific dollar figures where the xxx's are: "You
are in the top xx% richest people in the world. There
are x,xxx,xxx,xxx people poorer than you. How do you feel
about that? A bit richer we hope. Please consider donating
just a small amount to help some of the poorest people
in the world."

Idealist.org and Opportunitynocs.org
Want to make a career of changing the world? Idealist.org
and Opportunitynocs.org provide thousands of prosocial job
listings, mostly in nonprofit organizations, according to
city/state/country and job type.

Better
World Handbook
The Better World Handbook is a guide for the average person
wanting to make a positive difference in the world. The
book provides hundreds of examples of practical, effective
actions you can take to make a positive difference in the
world. These actions are aimed at realizing the following
values: Economic Fairness; Comprehensive Peace; Ecological
Sustainability; Deep Democracy; Social Justice; Culture
of Simplicity; and Revitalized Community.